An Alternate (Art by Shmorp McDurgen)
| “ | Vile creatures. The lot of them. And the fact that their leader has the audacity to claim that it imitates me shows me two things. One; they mock us without any regard for retribution being brought upon them. Two; they're unimaginably bold. To them, every living and nonliving creature is a defunct, obsolete model of say, a vehicle. A model that they intend to succeed and surpass. Put short, these... things aim to usurp the kings of the world. And in almost every event you could think of throughout human history, be it the discovery of fire or the creation of the radio, they've been there. Moving behind the scenes. | „ |
| ~ Immanuel on the subject of Alternates |
Alternates, also known as Tulpas, Witnesses, Observers, or Doppelgangers, are a species of malignant shape shifting entities that have come to power relativity recently, though some legends depict them as being around since before the Great Flood. The three documented types of Alternates are known as The Duplicates, the Unspeakables, and the Flawed.
Overview[]
Due to both their actions and their myriad of appearances, Alternates have garnered the attention of various groups and individuals which have gained a newfound eternal animosity towards them for their malevolent acts and physiological assaults. The reason for this is due to them serving as a dark parallel to humanity itself where they reflected from their innate fear of their own capabilities that lurks within the depths of the Uncanny Valley found in the Collective Unconscious.
History[]
Origins[]
How and where they originated is unknown, but it is speculated by researchers of the Federal Bureau of Control that they are the earliest type of paranormal shapeshifters to have existed, having spawned into existence at some point during the Earth's primeval epoch. Another theory regarding their creation was that they are a "species" that originated from humanity's Collective Unconscious that centers around the innate fear of what lurks within the Uncanny Valley. They are essentially the "dark mirror" of humanity itself and embody the fear of what they are capable of including the uncertainty of their own capabilities.
This fear grew so prevalent that the Alternates would not only take physical forms but go so far as to develop a sentience of their own which stemmed from the individual they reflected off from and even evolve. The Alternates were present in many Biblical tales, often at times being alluded to in vague detail, but were not involved in the events that transpired in such tales as they would observe in the background, eerily and steadily watching all that occurs before them. It is unknown who the first Alternate was as their hierarchy is not all that well documented but in certain studies they seem to follow members of their kind with a higher connection to the metaphysical and all come together under an Alternate who they refer to as Melchizedek.
Great Flood[]
As a result of their purposed origins centering around the Uncanny Valley in the Collective Unconscious, it would make them, more or less, agents of the Demiurge, ones that are members of Yaldabaoth's many cults around the world. In the distant past, the Alternates did not move against any of the tribes of man but hid amongst them in order to observe and study them as a way to properly fit amongst their ranks.
This mission, however, came to an abrupt end with the coming of the Great Flood which threatened to destroy all in its path including the Alternates. Melchizedek was among those that watched the construction of the Ark which would house all the world's creatures including Noah and his family. He realized that the Alternates would not survive the Almighty's wrath and sent only one of these creatures aboard the ark, one that Noah himself would not immediately notice at first, but before he could perceive what was to come, it would be too late.
Unseen Observers[]
After the Flood, the Alternate that survived quickly evaded Noah and his family and awaited until the proper time where the Earth would be once again populated by humans. As centuries pass, the Alternates multiplied and spread across the world, hiding in the shadows for many millennia and even fostering cults as they went. While massive numbers of their kind were wiped out by the Flood, they would eventually reemerge under the leadership of Melchizedek who witnessed the annunciation of Mary regarding the virgin birth of her son Jesus Christ by the archangel Gabriel.
The Alternates have even infiltrated polytheistic society as well something that has garnered the attention of the gods and as a result had the Alternates be killed with extreme prejudice at the hands of their warriors or other lesser gods. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, these creatures continued on, growing, infiltrating groups, kingdoms, tribes, and swaying the minds and hands of kings, nobles, and other individuals. Some of the more grounded supernatural individuals, be they intelligent monsters like vampires and werewolves or even lesser gods have encountered these creatures then destroyed them on sight.
Among mortals, the Federal Bureau of Control sees Alternates as an imminent threat to global security, and have imprisoned several of these shapeshifting creatures in an attempt to find out what their true purpose is on Earth. Through information extracted from these imprisoned alternates, multiple hotspots of Alternate activity have also been located across the world, with one such hotspot being a town in the United States being dubbed as Mandela County by the Federal Bureau of Control. Due to Alternate activity being at its highest in this particular state, the Federal Bureau of Control have decided to convert the entire county into a containment site, in order to ensure that no Alternate attempts to escape from the state. They have even requested the aid of the Knights of Saint George who specialize in dealing with tulpa entities, sending their best hunters to locate and destroy any Alternate they come across. All the while, the organization would release training videos to the residents of Mandela County describing how to identify and fight an Alternate. The FBC would suppress the knowledge of Alternates as best they could but regardless they have classed as an XK-class scenario.
Description[]
| “ | Fucking listen to me! You're not invincible, okay? I know you thought that when we started doing these fucking... DEATH MARCHES and nothing happened and I get it. But this right here is real! And you should know that more than anybody! | „ |
| ~ An excerpt from the final conversation between two human residents of Mandela County |
Physically, many alternates take the form of nearly exact duplicates of humans, albeit with minor differences such as reflected features, lighter or darker skin tones, a more defined jawline, lighter colored hair, missing birthmarks or other such differences. These sorts of Alternates are commonly referred to as Duplicates, and should not be confused with Doppelgangers.
Some alternates, however, have forms that mimic mythological entities from various different pantheons and even occasionally are able to copy some of their powers. These alternates are very high ranking amongst their kind, usually serving as their leaders, nobles or even generals. These beings almost always take on the forms of beings that there are multiple instances of, such as Dragons, Yokai, Spirits or Ghosts. These alternates are known as the Unspeakables.
On occasion, the process of an Alternate taking on a set form is interrupted by an outside force or finishes prematurely. These Alternates in particular may somewhat resemble duplicates of individuals, but have radically exaggerated or biologically impossible features such as faces perpetually obscured by shadow, lacking faces altogether, arms so long they drag behind them, oversized heads or even being upside down but behaving as though they were right side up. While still just as capable of killing as other alternates, these alternates are known as the Flawed, and are treated by both Duplicates and Unspeakables with great disdain, and often forced to do menial labor or even serve as suicide troops. Some alternates have even been known to torture the Flawed for their own amusement.
Abilities[]
| “ | Do not be afraid my dear shepherds, I have great news! I am your true savior. I know everything about what makes you human. I know what you love, I know what you dread. | „ |
| ~ The False Gabriel |
- Regeneration: No matter what type of Alternate, all possess regenerative properties and the ability to regrow severed limbs within minutes. Severed appendages themselves are known to be able to regenerate into a completely different Alternate if given enough time, however if the regenerating body part creating a new body is too small, it runs the risk of regenerating into a Flawed. As a result of this attribute the only way to truly kill an Alternate is to destroy it in its entirety.
- Psychological Torture: All Alternates are also able peer into the minds of those who communicate with them, and discover their fear. Alternates seem to be empowered by the emotion of Fear, and will use it to generate visual, auditory, and sensory hallucinations in order to attack the sanity of individuals and drive them to commit suicide. Alternates that have yet to fully manifest physically are then able to possess the corpses of suicide victims and use them to become Duplicates.
- Dark Reflection: Alternates with sufficient power, such as the Unspeakables, are also able to assume the form of immortal supernatural entities such as Yokai, spirits, or ghosts, with the most powerful among them able to mimic demons or even lesser gods. These alternates draw upon the power of Deception and False Worship, using illusions to deceive the most amount of people so that they may draw upon the power of their belief and actually attain the powers they purport to have. If enough people believe them to be the entity they claim to be, they will be able to drain the true entity of their divine power until they are overpowered and obliterated.
- Hijack: In recent times Alternates have begun to proliferate at an alarming rate due to the advent of television and the internet, which Alternates have found a way to Hijack and use to spread fear across the human population. These alternates are believed to be partially responsible for the distribution of violent or bizarre material across various modern media, doing so in an attempt to assault the minds of individuals and drive them to suicide.